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Tag Archives: Frances Sedgemore

Graphene Week 2015 was held in Manchester, UK from June 22 – 26, 2015. (Some might call Manchester the home of graphene as it was first isolated at the University of Manchester by Andre Geim and Konstantin [Kostya] Novoselov in 2004). As part of the Graphene week festivities and activities, a musical composition, Graphene Suite was premiered according to a July 3, 2015 news item on Azonano,

At Graphene Week 2015 in Manchester, delegates and others were treated to the premiere of a musical suite by Sara Lowes, composer-in-residence at the National Graphene Institute. Sara’s Graphene Suite was commissioned by Brighter Sound, a Manchester-based producer of creative music projects and other cultural events.

Graphene Suite is scored for a somewhat unusual combination of musical forces, with a string quartet joined by oboe, trumpet, percussion, electric bass guitar, electric guitar and electronic keyboards. Strong visual effects accompanied the musical performance, with electronically manipulated video images of the musicians projected onto a screen behind the stage. For the Graphene Week participants present, the music was a welcome cultural complement to an intense programme of science-centred events.

The Graphene Suite has six movements, and the number six features strongly in the structure of the piece. Here it is sufficient to say that the performance was for this scientist-writer and sometime musician utterly fascinating. In technical terms the music is electro-acoustic, but at the same time Sara’s compositional style is traditional. It is also strongly melodic.

Immediately following the concert I conducted a video interview with the composer, focussing on her music, her experience of the graphene science community, and the nature of and similarities between art and science as creative processes.

The interview which includes some of the music is courtesy of the Graphene Flagship ,

According to the Bright Lights undated [2015] news release, there were two full performances on June 25 and June 26, 2015 while excerpts were performed at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry on June 27 and June 28, 2015.

You won’t catch the live show but it’s still possible to hear Nobel laureate Konstantin (Kostya) Novoselov (one of two men who first isolated graphene at the University of Manchester [the other was Andre Geim]) and his colleagues discuss the 2D material,graphene, on a BBC World episode of Forum [the link to the programme is further down]. From a July 6, 2015 news item on Azonano,

Graphene Week 2015 [June 24 – 28] in Manchester saw the BBC World Service in town to record an episode of The Forum – a radio discussion programme that tackles the big questions of our age with some of the world’s most eminent thinkers, movers and shakers.

Chaired by BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall, the panel comprised Nobel laureate Kostya Novoselov and fellow University of Manchester academic Sarah Haigh, Trinity College Dublin-based professor of physical chemistry Jonathan Coleman, Graphene Flagship director Jari Kinaret, and digital arts and robotics researcher Toby Heys from Manchester Metropolitan University. Discussion topics for the panel and audience included the real-world potential of graphene and related two-dimensional materials, the role of Europe’s Graphene Flagship in translating graphene products from the laboratory to consumers, and the safety of 2d materials.

Haigh set the ball rolling with an introduction to graphene, and this was taken up by the other panel members, who spoke of their own science and engineering interest in 2d materials. From the chair, Kendall asked whether the materials will live up to their potential, and about the oft-quoted 10-year development lifetime for graphene-based products. Kinaret said that 10 years is a rather short time when it comes to the development of disruptive technologies.

Graphene is one of a large number of interesting 2d materials, albeit the one with the most research and development investment. Graphene will likely underpin a number of technological advances, but not just on its own. Graphene can be combined with other materials in composites and heterostructures. Kendall enquired about graphene heterostructures, giving the experts present a chance to expound on the topic of 2d materials in the round. Kinaret stressed that the Graphene Flagship, its name notwithstanding, is actively engaged in the development of a range of layered materials.

The discussion then moved on to the development and exploitation timeline for graphene, and the introduction of graphene into an environment in which it must compete with established and so far highly successful materials. Silicon, for example, will still be around in 10 years, noted Novoselov, adding that graphene needs to outshine other materials by a significant margin in order to supplant them.

Examples of practical applications for graphene and other 2d materials discussed by the panel include transparent, flexible displays, and biomedical applications such as artificial retinas and various kinds of sensors. Not least in the biomedical field, material safety is paramount. Kendall asked about the safety of nanomaterials, and where graphene fits into the regulatory regime.

Kinaret stressed that the only form of graphene that may properly be classed as a nanomaterial are platelets with nanometre-scale sizes, where edge effects on biological cells are a concern, as they are with other engineered nanomaterials. Larger-area graphene sheets are another matter entirely, and cannot be considered as nanomaterials.

Speaking from the audience, Maurizio Prato, a chemist from the University of Trieste, and the Graphene Flagship’s principal spokesman on 2d materials health and safety, spoke of flagship research in this area, and the work carried out to date on distinguishing and classifying various types of graphene. He also noted that, given the tests done so far, there is no indication that graphene is not safe for humans and other animals. At this point, Kendall asked how long it will be before we know for sure that graphene is safe. One to two years is a reasonable timescale for clinical trials, said Prato, and we will probably need a couple of years beyond that.

Other topics discussed during the one-hour session included the affordability of graphene products in third-world contexts, and the impact of commercial funding on research and development. Kendall concluded the discussion by provocatively asking panel members if graphene will be the new dawn. The responses were all cautiously optimistic, as befits the character, thinking and practice of scientists.

For anyone who’d like to hear the 45 mins. BBC World Service Forum on Graphene (June 2015), you can go here. Before you go, here’s a 55 secs. excerpt (concerning graphene and Belgian chocolate featuring and, if I’m not mistaken, Kostya Novoselov*) from the show,

Judging by the excerpt it was a lively session.

* Correction July 8, 2015 at 11:20 am PST, I’ve been kindly informed by the BBC Forum producer that the speaker in the excerpt is Jari Kinaret, Graphene Flagship director.